chargé d'affaires

American  

[shahr-zhay duh-fair, shahr-zhay, shar-zhay da-fer] / ʃɑrˈʒeɪ dəˈfɛər, ˈʃɑr ʒeɪ, ʃar ʒeɪ daˈfɛr /

noun

Government.

• chargés d'affaires
  plural

1. Also called chargé d'affaires ad interim. an official placed in charge of diplomatic business during the temporary absence of the ambassador or minister.

2. an envoy to a state to which a diplomat of higher grade is not sent.

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chargé d'affaires British  

/ ˈʃɑːʒeɪ dæˈfɛə, ʃarʒe dafɛr /

noun

1. the temporary head of a diplomatic mission in the absence of the ambassador or minister

2. the head of a diplomatic mission of the lowest level

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• chargés d'affaires
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of chargé d'affaires

1760–70; < French: literally, one in charge of things

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chargé d'affaires

As Petro was traveling to Washington, Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim president, met with U.S. chargé d’affaires Laura Dogu to talk about the future.

From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2026

She takes over from John McNamara, who had served as chargé d’affaires since February 2025 and traveled to Venezuela in January to discuss the potential reopening of the embassy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026

Seidman was appointed chargé d'affaires at Israel's embassy in South Africa last year and his role also extends to the neighbouring countries of Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius and Namibia.

From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026

On Thursday, the U.S. named Laura F. Dogu, a former ambassador to Honduras and Nicaragua, as the new chargé d’affaires for the State Department’s Venezuela Affairs Unit, which is based in Bogotá, Colombia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026

He had been chargé d'affaires in the Netherlands, and minister to Spain.

From The Shirley Letters from California Mines in 1851-52 by Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe

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